Application Process

Admission to the Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program Is a Two-step Process

• You must be approved for admission to the program by the Admissions Committee.
• You must have a professor in the program who is willing to serve as your advisor.

Deadlines

• Applications accepted for fall admission only. The E&E grad program does not admit students in the spring semester.
• Apply online. For students absolutely unable to apply online, paper applications are available by contacting the Graduate and Professional Admissions office.

Complete applications must be received by the following dates for consideration of admission to the program:

December 1

• Deadline for all applicants, both Domestic and International, who wish to be considered for University fellowships, teaching assistantships or graduate assistantships.

February 1

• Deadline for both Domestic and International applicants to be considered for admission without University support.
  
  Applications Consist Of:
• Application
• Answers to short essay questions (personal statement)
• Three letters of recommendation
• Resume
• Official transcripts from all other universities and colleges attended. Unofficial transcripts should be uploaded as Supporting Materials for review by the admissions committee until the official transcripts arrive.
• Optional GRE. The GRE is not required as part of the application process, and applications that do not include a GRE score will be given full consideration for admission. However, if you feel that your GRE score could strengthen your application, you are welcome to submit it. In particular, international students, and students who are changing career focus (i.e., do not have a background in Ecology & Evolution or a related field), often feel that they can strengthen their application by submitting a GRE score.
• A TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test score is required if your undergraduate education was completed in a non-English speaking country.

Any missing item(s) other than GRE and TOEFL (if the latter is not applicable) renders the application incomplete. Your application will not be reviewed by the admissions committee.

Fee Waivers

The Office of Graduate Admissions grants application fee waivers to the following groups only: active U.S. military and military veterans who plan to apply for educational benefits under the GI Bill, current Rutgers students and alumni, and participants in various scholar programs. Students are automatically reviewed for fee waiver eligibility based on the information they provide on their Rutgers graduate school application. Information on how to apply (application fee/fee waiver policy) can be found on the Rutgers–New Brunswick Graduate Admissions website. Questions about the fee waiver policy can be directed to Graduate Admissions (Fee Waiver Contact Form).

The Application Process

Apply online. Please read the process below before beginning your application.

Rutgers Ecology & Evolution uses a holistic review process to evaluate and rank applications. The categories that the admissions committee uses are given below. Many of these categories are relevant to the questions asked on the short essay component of the application, and we suggest that applicants keep these categories in mind while writing their essay responses. Applicants should be aware that academic preparedness (which includes undergraduate transcripts, and test scores if submitted) together with research experience, is up-weighted in the Admissions Committee evaluations, relative to the other categories.

Academic preparedness
Demonstrates academic success and preparation for graduate school, including skills that equip them well for graduate coursework and research.

Research experience
Takes advantage of relevant research opportunities available to them, given socio-economic background and previous schools attended. Has a realistic perspective on how to conduct and/or complete research projects; strong ability to work independently and problem solve; curiosity.

Long term goals and commitment to graduate school
Demonstrates ability and willingness to work hard and steadily towards long-term goals. Clearly articulates the role of graduate school in moving towards their long term goal(s).

Resilience and adaptability
Demonstrated ability to push past obstacles and/or to take in new information/events and adjust accordingly. Has clear understanding of uncertainty in a way that will equip them to weather the ups and downs of research and graduate school.

Leadership and work experience
Demonstrates maturity through clear communication, ability to work with and lead a team, strong organizational skills, and/or ability to juggle multiple tasks at once.

Creativity and Innovation
Proposes and/or demonstrates a history of creativity and innovation in approaching science and/or problem-solving.

Diverse perspectives and outreach
Potential to contribute distinctive perspectives to our intellectual community and to the fields of ecology and evolution, as demonstrated through life experiences and educational, cultural, or socioeconomic background. Commitment to broadening participation in science and making it accessible to communities both within and beyond the University.

Other Important Information

• Note the RUID number that your application is assigned.
• Use that ID number to check the status of your application online throughout the process.
• Send official copies of transcripts directly to the Graduate and Professional Admissions office at 56 College Avenue, New Brunswick NJ 08901. (Note: this is a new address effective 12/02/13). Do not send items to the Ecology and Evolution graduate program as this will cause a delay in processing and may result in your application not being received in time for review by the E&E admissions committee.

The Admissions Committee

• Every application that is received by the 1 December (for funded positions) or 1 February (for unfunded positions) deadline will be reviewed and ranked by members of the admissions committee. This committee is composed of faculty in the Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution.
• The admissions committee will make an application available to the faculty member(s) named in the application as potential advisors. Note that the applicant should have established contact with potential advisors BEFORE submitting the application. Only advisors who are admitting graduate students, and who are potentially interested in the applicant joining their group, should be named in the application.

The Advisor Requirement

• An advisor is required for admission to the program. That is, if you do not have an EE faculty member who has agreed to serve as your advisor by the time admissions decisions are made (generally January /February), you will not be admitted to the program.
• Successful applicants generally contact potential advisors in the summer or early fall prior to the application deadline. It is important to find an advisor who is taking new students in the application year (i.e., has room in their lab group) and who is interested in admitting you as a student.
• As part of the application process, applicants must provide the names of 1 to 3 Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program faculty who they would be interested in working with. Faculty of interest indicated in each application will have the opportunity to review the application materials for each potential applicant to their lab during the application process.

Important Note:
A promise of faculty sponsorship does not guarantee admission to the program. In other words, you can be denied admissions due to a lack of faculty sponsorship, but you cannot be automatically admitted to the program simply because of faculty sponsorship.

Graduate Funding

• The minimum salary for the 2025-26 academic year, as outlined in the current contract between Rutgers University and the Graduate Worker Union (Rutgers AAUP-AFT), is as follows: for a ten-month academic appointment as a Teaching Assistant (TA) or Graduate Assistant (GA), the minimum salary is $40,000. For a twelve-month calendar year appointment, the minimum salary is $46,000. All full-time TAs and GAs receive health benefits and full tuition remission. While guaranteed funding for Master's students is generally not available, some MS students have received Teaching Assistantships or Graduate Assistantships in the past.

For more information about our faculty, see our list of current Ecology and Evolution Program faculty and their research interests.